Cut To The Chase

A

 few years ago some good friends gave me a little book that I just fell in love with.  The title said it all, “Ten Classics in Ten Minutes.”  True to course, the book is a compendium of classics like Moby Dick, Gone with the Wind, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and seven more classic favorites that have been reduced to one page or less. The book contained a companion CD with each of the classics read by the world’s fastest talking man.  Each classic takes exactly one minute to read albeit at break-neck speed.

My parents always accuse me of talking too fast.  Usually I end up repeating what I’ve said or my dad will tell me to slow down so he can hear what I have to say.  I simply tell him to listen faster but I somehow I end up repeating myself at a much slower pace.  It just kills me!!  But this guy is fast, I mean speed-of-light fast.  He successfully tells each story in one minute, boiling down an entire novel to just the bare essentials.  We call this cutting to the chase.

Would it surprise you to discover the Apostle Paul had occasion to share the entire of story of Jesus with a jailer but instead cut to the chase?  It’s true and if you have a copy of God’s word nearby, I invite you to open it to Acts 16:31, “They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household."

Paul and his companion Silas were put in prison for causing a disturbance in Philippi.  The authorities had them flogged and thrown into jail.  The jailer put their feet in shackles and placed them in the inner cell so escape would be impossible.  Later that evening, however, as they prayed and sang hymns an earthquake shook the foundations of the prison.  The jailer awoke and ran to the jail and upon seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword to kill himself.  Paul however stopped him, stating that all the prisoners were still present and accounted for.

That is when the jailer asked the most important question of his life, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30).  Paul how had occasion to share the gospel with this man.  He could have started at the beginning, back when God promised Abraham that all peoples on the earth would be blessed through him.  He could have continued the story up to that present moment.  Instead, Paul just cut to the chase and told the man to believe in Jesus and he would be saved along with his household.

Sometimes we get overwhelmed at the prospects of sharing Jesus with other people.  We feel we must be a preacher, a missionary, or have a seminary degree in order to communicate the gospel effectively.  Yet, Paul, a very knowledgeable and learned man simply told the jailer to believe in Jesus.  This man did and his entire household was saved.

Isn’t it amazing what cutting to the chase can do for a person?  People today need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. They need to know that he came to forgive their sins and to give them eternal life.  This is such wonderful news that we shouldn’t take all day to share it.  Salvation, eternal life, and a relationship with the living God are all just one prayer away from those who have never accepted Jesus.  So today as you have opportunity to share with those around you who are wondering how they can have the peace and the joy you experience in your life, by all means tell them.  And when you do, it’s ok to cut to the chase!